Roam And Rove
by protect
Summary: starts at the end of school reunion. Mickey want to see the stars, interrupting Rose's alone time with the Doctor. stuff written so far is below M, but could move up so rated on the save side.
1. school reunion

"Can I come?" Mickey asks gingerly, not wanting to be left behind again. The Doctor just asked Sarah Jane, so he must be willing to take on other passengers.

"Not with you" He indicates Sarah Jane, he looks at the Doctor "With you. Cause I'm not the tin dog and I wanna see what's out there".

The Doctor looks at Rose. She mouths 'no' at him.

"Oh go on Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board." Sarah Jane encourages.

'Okay then, I could do with a laugh."

Rose looks away disgruntled. She had been okay with Sarah Jane tagging along. She liked her and she couldn't imagine Sarah Jane would stay on board for very long. She must have a live out there.

Mickey looks pleased, very pleased.

"Rose is that okay?"

"No, great. Why not?"

Her back is still turned towards him and she will be damned is she lets him see her face. She likes Mickey, she does, but it feels like he will interrupt what she and the Doctor have together. More than Sarah Jane could, even though she actually had a history with the Doctor. For some reason she prefers having his 'ex' around to her own ex complicating matters in the blue box..

The Doctor and Sarah observe the both of them and feel the tension.

"Well I'd better go." Sarah Jane breaks the silence. Grabbing Rose by the arm and turning away from the men. This brings up the other issue Rose was struggling with.

"What do I do?" Rose questions. "Do I stay with him?"

"Yes." The older woman answers resolutely. "Some things are worth getting your heart broken for." And she hugs Rose.

"Find me, if you need to, one day. Find me."


	2. slinky

Mickey wanders around the TARDIS, marvelling at how big it is, although he's sure he still hasn't discovered all of it, and still gets lost constantly.

The Doctor had sent them whirling into space and was now admiring the ingenuity and imagination that must have led to the invention of the slinky.

"Rose this is brilliant! Why didn't you ever tell me about these before?" He is running around after it letting it slide down every possible surface he can find.

Rose is sitting in the seat near the console. She smiles warily at the Doctor. He had found the slinky in the school. A kid must have dropped it when it was running away.

The Doctor had brought it into the TARDIS and set it down on the console. He had looked at it from several angles and even prodded it with a pen at some point. He had lifted the top up slightly and let it fall back.

Rose had been showing Mickey his room, but when she came back, the Doctor was not much further in his discovery of the slinky.

He eyed it suspiciously from a short distance, his arms folded.

Rose had gotten to know the Doctor quite well these last few weeks and knew he would soon start feigning boredom with the object to hide the fact he didn't know what it was.

She walked up to the slinky and lifted the top.

His eyes followed her movements eagerly, reminding her of a dog waiting for you to throw his toy.

She moved the top over the edge of the console and let it go.

She didn't watch the slinky hit the ground, instead she focussed on the Doctor's reaction.

She got the reaction she was hoping for. The one that made her heart spill over for this curious and strange yet irresistible man.

His eyes grew wide and started a smile that quickly spread over his entire face. He looked up at her for a second before quickly focussing on the slinky again, which was making its way down several steps away from the console.

The Doctor followed it and got to his knees to examine it close up. If he had had a tail, Rose was sure it would be wagging enthusiastically.


	3. bedtime

"So what happens now?" Mickey asks, re-entering the console area after another wandering session.

"Now it's bedtime." The Doctor announces cheerfully. "But not before…"

Stopping his sentence midway due to a dark look from Rose, who's shaking her head.

"Not before what?" Mickey inquires, having missed Rose's actions completely.

"Oh uh, nothing, just, uh turning off all the lights." The Doctor improvises. "That's it. All the lights. Off they go. I'll do that." And he starts pushing buttons left right and centre, mumbling cheerfully as he goes. "Hello button, off you go."

Not that they actually were light buttons. The TARDIS controlled the lighting herself. She was willing to play along though, darkening the areas where the Doctor had pushed a button.

Mickey looks at him strangely.

"Never seen anyone so enthusiastic about turning of lights." He whispers to Rose.

Rose just shrugs. "He's the Doctor. He's enthusiastic about just about anything."

Mickey had to agree there. Since the Doctor had regenerated he had been upbeat and happy about practically anything. He was like a kid on a sugar high discovering the wonders of the world. Or, well, worlds more like.

"Well, better go find my room then, before it's completely dark here. Still not sure where it is exactly." Mickey looks around; trying to decide which hallway it was that would lead him to his room.

"It's that one." Rose helps him. "Just follow it down, third door on the left. And don't worry, you'll get the hang of it."

"Thanks. You coming?" Mickey may not have remembered which hallway it was, but he did remember Rose's room was down the same one.

"In a minute. I'm thirsty, going to get a quick drink from the kitchen. I'll see you in the morning yeah?"

"Yeah alright." Mickey moves to her side and kisses her on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She responds as she returns the kiss.

"What was that all about?" The Doctor asks indignantly as he returns to the control room, the second Mickey had left it.

"What was what about?" Rose asks putting on an innocent face.

"Don't give me that. I've been pretending to turn off lights for five minutes. Why didn't you want Mickey to know what we do before bedtime?"

"Because I don't." She sighs, not able to meet his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with it, is there?" He questions, a little worried. Humans could have the weirdest rules about behaviour sometimes.

"No, no. Of course not. It's just, I love Mickey, but I'm still getting used to having him around all the time. It's a bit weird."

"And you don't want him around for this?"

"No, not yet. I just, I don't know, it didn't feel right."

The Doctor looks at her for a moment.

"Okay." He shrugs. "We still can though, can't we?" Hope shining bright in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, course we can."


	4. AN

AN

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since i updated this one. Been quite busy and then when i wanted to get back to it i couldn't find it on my computer. Quite scared I'd lost it for a while there, until i found it again tonight. YAY! I won't have to write it from scratch again. The new chapter isn't completely finished yet though. Am hoping to post it this weekend.

Some of you claimed in your reviews (which i love getting btw) that you knew what the doctor was talking about. I'm curious to find out what you were thinking, so let me know!

I promiss you will soon find out what it is!

And for anyone who's reading any of my other stories: updates for both are coming up too!


	5. sleepless night

Lying on his bed the Doctor is staring at the ceiling. He can't sleep. He must be in bed for several hours now, at the very least, but sleep refuses to come.

Sarah Jane, it had been great to see her, but painful too. Feelings he had run from and hid very well, or so he thought, had come rushing back to the surface.

Feelings that once were all too similar to the ones Rose managed to stir in him now. He was going to need better hiding places!

And Rose had been acting so strange tonight. Even when he had gone to her room, long after Mickey went to bed. She was so tense and kept listening if she could hear Mickey moving around outside. She even shushed him when she thought she had heard a noise. She had shushed him!

Deciding sleep is not happening he gets up and makes for the control room. "Mickey" The Doctor utters in complete surprise. Mickey was standing at the control panel and had been just about to touch something. His hand shoots back to his side and his face flushes at the feeling of getting caught.

"Sorry" he manages. "I couldn't sleep, all these weird noises." Mickey offers as an explanation.

"What weird noises?" The Doctor's face worried. He doesn't hear any strange noises, there wouldn't be anything wrong with the TARDIS would there?

"No, no, not like that." Mickey hurries to explain. "Well actually, I wouldn't know, would I? I just meant, noises I'm not used to."

"Oh" The Doctor seems strangely at a loss for words.

"You couldn't sleep either? Mickey questions.

"Oh uhm, Timelord. Don't need a lot of sleep. Besides, this slinky won't run on it's own! Well it would, but, it wouldn't start. On it's own, that is." The Doctor seemed to be rambling. He had not planned on interaction with anyone just now. And he sure didn't want to share his resent thoughts with Mickey. Suddenly he was all too aware that Mickey and Rose had dated but he couldn't figure out why that bothered him.

After a long and straining silence in which the Doctor had preoccupied himself with the slinky while trying to think of something to say to Mickey, he finally managed: "So was there anyplace specific you wanted to go?"

"Somewhere sunny?"

The Doctor eyed Mickey for a moment, clearly unimpressed with the lack of creativity, but he proceeded to set coordinates none the less.


	6. cinderella

Rose had been worrying about this for the bigger part of the afternoon now. It started when they were still on the planet. When they were lying on their backs, enjoying the sun and Mickey had announced that they were the three musketeers. The Doctor loved the idea and immediately started rambling about sword fights and damsels in distress. He even jumped up and demonstrated how he would save his damsel by climbing her tower, a tower looking very much like a tree Rose noted.

And that's when Rose started thinking about it. Tonight. Mickey would definitely be suspicious if she claimed to need some more time before bed again. She could claim to not be tired, and stay up. But what if he insisted to stay up too. Mickey seemed to be scared to miss any minute of this adventure and stayed by their side at all time.

Easiest would be to just tell him, let him join in, as he wanted so much. But something was stopping her.

She would have to have a word with the Doctor, get him alone for a second. But now was clearly not the time, as he seemed to be on another sugar high and climbed and chased everything he could find.

"Ohhh what a day!" The Doctor exclaimed as he happily let himself fall into the seat in the control room. "That was brilliant!"

Rose sat down next to him. She smiled at his intense happy face.

"I'll get some drinks." Mickey announced, wanting to prove himself useful.

As soon as he had left for the kitchen, Rose bend over to lean close to the Doctor.

"Doctor, about tonight." She whispered.

The Doctor turned his face to observe her. His mischievous eyes sparkled, he was clearly hoping for some secret or promises of an adventure.

"When we go to bed yeah, we'll all leave for our rooms. Wait fifteen minutes and then come to my room. Mickey won't buy another act like last night."

"I was very good at turning off those lights." The Doctor replied a little insulted. "But Rose I still don't get…" But he never finished the sentence because Mickey had re-entered the room and Rose clearly didn't want Mickey to know. He decided to ask again when he would come over that night.

After they all wished each other goodnight they left for their rooms. The Doctor's was down another hallway then Mickey's and Rose's, he stared after them as they disappeared around the corner together.

He went to his own room, stripped of his jacket and tie and sat down on his bed. Now he was supposed to wait. He liked having Mickey around, but if it was going to be like this every night he had half a mind to leave him on a planet somewhere.

He took his shoes off and scooted further on the bed. He rested his hands on his stomach and stared around the room, wishing for time to pass quickly.

Finally he decided he had waited long enough. He jumped up and made his way to Rose's room on his socks.

He stood outside her door trying to decide what to do. Should he knock? Would that alarm Mickey? But he couldn't just barge in, could he?

He decided on a very soft knock. He thought he heard Rose whispering a very quiet 'yeah', so he opened the door.

Rose was sitting up in bed. She had changed to her PJs and gotten under the covers.

She smiled at him and gestured him over. He closed the door and made his way to her bed.

"So, which one do you want?" She asked.

"Cinderella" He beamed as he lay down next to her on his side, arm under his head, facing her.

"Again?" She laughed, but picked up the requested storybook from beside the bed and opened it.

Before she could start though, the Doctor had to know.

"Rose, why all the secrecy?"

Rose sighed and looked at him.

"Because he'd want to be here too." She answered dejectedly. "He wants to be everywhere where we are and do everything we do. I love him and I'm happy he's with us, but it used to be you and me. Just you and me and I liked that. I like being alone with you. Our talks, our jokes. All of a sudden it's the three of us all the time." She felt a little bad about it, but it was what she felt.

She stared at the duvet in thought.

A few minutes silence followed, in which the Doctor closely observed Rose's face.

"Rose" He broke the silence.

She turned her head to look down at him on the pillow.

"I like being alone with you too." He almost whispered up at her.

She smiled sweetly at him, feeling a bit better about it all.

"Ready for your story?" She asked.

"Absolutely!" He smiled

And Rose started to read from the book.


	7. secret's out

It was about 8 nights later that Mickey found out. He had often felt a weird vibe before going to bed, but then again, he felt weird vibes all day with everything that happened.

This night however he couldn't fall asleep and decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen. As he passed Rose's room he thought he heard voices. He knocked on her door.

The Doctor had only just come in and settled down beside Rose. The knock made them look at each other. She couldn't deny Mickey, this would be the end of their secret.

"Come in." She announced against her will.

"Hey, I thought I heard voices…" Mickey stopped at the sight in front of him. Rose in a singlet sitting up in bed, partly covered by her duvet. The Doctor, in his trousers and partly unbuttoned shirt, on top of the duvet next to her. Both were looking at him.

"I was just going to read the Doctor a bedtime story." Rose explained. "Would you like to join us?"

Mickey was still recovering from the pang of jealousy he felt at the sight of them in bed together, even though the sight itself was pretty innocent.

Mickey had been jealous of their relationship from the start, even though nothing sexual seemed to be going on.

"Yeah sure." He said and entered the room.

He made his way over to the bed clearly wanting to sit there. This forced the Doctor to move into an upright position like the one Rose was in. He seemed to scowl at Mickey for maybe half a second.

Mickey sat on the bed leaning up against the footboard.

There was a strenuous silence in the room, which Rose couldn't stand.

"Well, since it's Mickey's first time. I think he should pick." She announced.

"Uhm, oh, well, okay. Beauty and the Beast." He decided on. He saw it lying on top of the pile of storybooks next to Rose's bed and he had always liked that one.

"OH YUK!" The Doctor protested. "Not that one Rose, please."

"It's not that bad." She laughed at the Doctor's reaction. She knew he hated it, but quite liked it herself.

"I like Beauty and the Beast." Mickey defended himself.

"Alright Beauty and the Beast it is. " Rose announced.

"Oh no, that's not fair. Rose I don't want that one. Now I have to share story time AND listen to stories I don't like. That's not fair." The Doctor whined.

"Yeah well Rose said I could pick." Mickey argued. He actually really didn't care what story would be read, but for some reason he didn't want to give in to the Doctor. He was standing his ground.

"Rooooose" The Doctor whined again, making puppy dog eyes at her.

She couldn't resist him.

"Alright, alright. How about this, I read Beauty and the Beast and then afterwards I'll read whatever you wa.."

"Peter Pan." It was out before Rose had finished her sentence.

Rose couldn't help but laugh at his determined face.

Mickey relaxed a bit against the footboard and enjoyed listening to Rose's voice. When he first realised that Rose was reading bedtime stories he thought the whole thing rather childish. But he was starting to enjoy it. All he had to do was avoid the occasional scowl the Doctor sent in his direction to show he still wasn't happy about the story choice.

When the story finished they were all starting to get tired. Mickey had slouched down a bit further. The Doctor moved to rest his head on Rose's shoulder, this freed up space for Mickey's legs, which he eagerly took, though he looked suspiciously at the two. It also allowed the Doctor to see the pictures in the book. He particularly liked the pirates.

The story took a bit longer as Rose's reading got slower with her increasing tiredness. When she finished they were all half asleep.

"Alright, out you two. Time to sleep."

Grudgingly Mickey started to get up, but the Doctor made no move.

"You too pirate." Rose told him while she ruffled his hair.

...

...

AN: yes i promise this story will one day live up to it's M rating, though i'm still trying to figure out if i should go for the playful flingy stuff or the serious soulmate type of thing. Any suggestions?


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